visitors_dot_php

A single-php-file guestbook with customizability and ease-of-deployment in mind.

An emphemeral demo is available here.

Current version: 0.0.2.

The first number is reserved for future use. The second number is the database version. The third number is the non-database revision.

Hosting

To deploy, edit the top of visitors.php with your desired configuration, and then upload it to your webserver or hosting provider. It must support client-side scripting, so Github Pages, Neocities, etc. are all out of the question. Additionally, your webserver must have write access to the database, otherwise the script will fail to save stuff.

There are no security risks to your database file being publically accessible, as it only contains the same info the page will display. This may change in a future release.

Moderation

There is currently no in-built way to delete guestbook entries, however, it is trivial with most database formats. I do plan to add moderation tools in a future update.

In CSV or JSONL, open the database file in a text editor, and delete the line containing the given message. The file is stored in the same order that the entries are shown on the page, so for the 3rd entry, delete line 3.

In JSON, delete the JSON array entry which corresponds to the entry's index on the page. If you are unfamilliar with the syntax of JSON, here's an explainer.

In sqlite3, you will need to use a tool for inspecting the database. There are a number of GUI and CLI tools for doing this, but the methodology is much the same as above once you have access to the database contents.

Currently the builtin captcha is the only form of spam deterrant. An IP-based cooldown timer is planned.

Contact Me

I can be reached at alyx@aleteoryx.me via e-mail, and @admin@mk.aleteoryx.me on the fediverse. Additionally, any of the methods listed on my website work too. DM me on Tumblr or something idc lol. Please contact for feature requests, bug reports, and other concerns.

The default style is not great, and not my best work, but it's there more as a proof-of-concept than anything. If you would like to contribute a better style, please get in touch!

Legal

Copyright (C) 2024 by Aleteoryx <alyx@aleteoryx.me>

Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any
purpose with or without fee is hereby granted.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES
WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR
ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES
WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN
ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR
IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.